2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

Now that has unleashed the new Corvette ZR1, the most powerful production car in General Motors' history, those who felt it was a stretch to compare a Corvette Z06 with and might agree that the ZR1 truly belongs in this elite category of sports cars. The ZR1's performance is so over-the-top, it's no longer America's sports car. It's America's supercar, on a level beyond reproach by all but the most exotic of machinery.

As with any , the heart and soul of the ZR1 is its engine, in this case a hand-assembled 6.2-liter supercharged LS9 V-8, similar to the one in the , only with a lot more power — 638 bhp at 6500 rpm and 604 lb.-ft. of torque at 3800 rpm, to be precise (of note, the Caddy has 556 bhp).

And no, slapping a Roots-type supercharger (with 4-lobe rotors) on this engine hasn't made it any less harmonious to an enthusiast's ears. It actually has an even angrier exhaust note than the already-feisty Z06. There's a subdued whine from the supercharger at low rpm, but once the tachometer passes 3000 rpm with the throttle floored, the exhaust drastically changes its pitch, resulting in a cacophony of mechanical sounds: snorty V-8, lightly whining supercharger and a ripping exhaust — loud and proud.

Unlike most supercharged engines, which peter out at higher revs, the ZR1's engine makes its peak horsepower right at its 6500-rpm redline. With the supercharger's help down low, the ZR1 produces a never-ending forward surge of other-worldly power, the kind of rush that makes you laugh hysterically with every full-throttle run through the gears. The force of its acceleration actually makes you forget to breathe, and the violence with which it gobbles up blacktop — as though it hasn't eaten in months — startles passengers.

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The rear tires spin wildly in 1st gear, with more burning rubber as you snick the shifter to 2nd. By the time you get into 3rd you're well above go-to-jail-immediately speed, yet the tires still squirm the car side-to-side as they try to find grip. If there ever was a car with which you were guaranteed to get a speeding ticket, it's the ZR1, as its power and beautiful sounds goad you into illegal activities.

When trying to minimize wheelspin, the ZR1 hits 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds. That's quicker than the and , while just 0.1 sec. off the and the . That's also, admittedly, only 0.1 sec. quicker than the Z06. It's in the quarter mile where the ZR1 begins to stretch its legs, cracking off an 11.4 sec. run, putting it at a level with the fastest cars in the world. Yet, starting at just $102,450, the ZR1 costs far, far less than traditional exotics.